[[Portal:United States Emigration and Immigration|Portal:United States Emigration and Immigration&nbsp;]]&gt;[[New Jersey|New Jersey]]

+

[[United States Emigration and Immigration|United States Emigration and Immigration]][[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[New Jersey|New Jersey]]

−

The [[Portal:United States Emigration and Immigration|United States Emigration and Immigration]] portal lists several important sources for finding information about immigrants. These nationwide sources include many references to people who settled in New Jersey. [[Portal:Tracing Immigrant Origins|Tracing Immigrant Origins]] introduces the principles, search strategies, and additional record types you can use to identify an immigrant ancestor's original hometown.

+

[[United States Emigration and Immigration|United States Emigration and Immigration]] lists several important sources for finding information about immigrants. These nationwide sources include many references to people who settled in New Jersey. [[Tracing Immigrant Origins]] introduces the principles, search strategies, and additional record types you can use to identify an immigrant ancestor's original hometown.

=== The People ===

=== The People ===

−

'''Dutch.''' The Dutch of [[New Netherland|New Netherland]] intermittently occupied Fort Nassau (now Brooklawn, Camden, New Jersey) starting in 1623.<ref>Amandus Johnson, "[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nycoloni/nswamap.html Detailed Map of New Sweden 1638-1655]" in Amandus Johnson's book ''The Swedes on the Delaware 1638-1664'' (Philadelphia: Swedish Colonial Society, 1915), 392.</ref><ref>"Fort Nassau" in Probert Encyclopaedia of Architecture [Internet site] at http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/T_FORT_NASSAU.HTM (accessed 10 November 2008). "Fort Nassau was a fort erected on the site of the present town of Gloucester, New Jersey by Captain Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, representing the Dutch West India Company in 1623. It was abandoned and rebuilt a number of times, and finally abandoned in 1651."</ref><ref>"Location of Fort Nassau" in Gloucester County, New Jersey History and Genealogy [Internet site] at http://www.nj.searchroots.com/Gloucesterco/fortnassau.htm#Location (accessed 8 November 2008).</ref> The northeastern part of New Jersey was the first to be permanently settled because of its close proximity to New Amsterdam (New York City). Bergen (now Jersey City), on the west bank of the Hudson River, was the first permanent Dutch settlement starting in 1630.<ref>"Bergen, New Netherland" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergen,_New_Netherland (accessed 12 December 2008).</ref> After the English conquest in 1664, the Dutch continued to spread into Bergen County and the Raritan Valley and then into Somerset and northern Monmouth in the 1680s and 1690s. Many of these settlers came from Kings County, New York. For more details about the Dutch influence in the area see the [[New Netherland|New Netherland]] wiki article, the [[New Jersey Court Records|New Jersey Court Records]] and [[New Jersey Probate Records|New Jersey Probate Records]], the [[Portal:New York|New York]] wiki article, and Gwenn F. Epperson's ''New Netherland Roots'' (Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publ., 1994). (Family History Library [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=651271&disp=New+Netherland+roots%20%20&columns=*,0,0 book 974.7 D27e].) Discusses and quotes examples from passenger lists, early government records, marriage registers, church records, and court records of New Netherland. Also discusses early Dutch, German, Belgian, French, and Scandinavian sources.

+

'''Dutch.''' The Dutch of [[New Netherland|New Netherland]] intermittently occupied Fort Nassau (now Brooklawn, Camden, New Jersey) starting in 1623.<ref>Amandus Johnson, "[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nycoloni/nswamap.html Detailed Map of New Sweden 1638-1655]" in Amandus Johnson's book ''The Swedes on the Delaware 1638-1664'' (Philadelphia: Swedish Colonial Society, 1915), 392.</ref><ref>"Fort Nassau" in Probert Encyclopaedia of Architecture [Internet site] at http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/T_FORT_NASSAU.HTM (accessed 10 November 2008). "Fort Nassau was a fort erected on the site of the present town of Gloucester, New Jersey by Captain Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, representing the Dutch West India Company in 1623. It was abandoned and rebuilt a number of times, and finally abandoned in 1651."</ref><ref>"Location of Fort Nassau" in Gloucester County, New Jersey History and Genealogy [Internet site] at http://www.nj.searchroots.com/Gloucesterco/fortnassau.htm#Location (accessed 8 November 2008).</ref> The northeastern part of New Jersey was the first to be permanently settled because of its close proximity to New Amsterdam (New York City). Bergen (now Jersey City), on the west bank of the Hudson River, was the first permanent Dutch settlement starting in 1630.<ref>"Bergen, New Netherland" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergen,_New_Netherland (accessed 12 December 2008).</ref> After the English conquest in 1664, the Dutch continued to spread into Bergen County and the Raritan Valley and then into Somerset and northern Monmouth in the 1680s and 1690s. Many of these settlers came from Kings County, New York. For more details about the Dutch influence in the area see [[New Netherland|New Netherland]], [[New Jersey Court Records|New Jersey Court Records]], [[New Jersey Probate Records|New Jersey Probate Records]], and [[New York|New York]]. Gwenn F. Epperson's ''New Netherland Roots'' (Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publ., 1994) {{FHL|651271|item|disp=FHL book 974.7 D27e}} discusses and quotes examples from passenger lists, early government records, marriage registers, church records, and court records of New Netherland. This book also discusses early Dutch, German, Belgian, French, and Scandinavian sources.

'''Swedes and Finns.''' The first Swedish and Finnish settlers came to the site of modern Wilmington, Delaware, on the Delaware River in 1638. The growth of [[New Sweden|New Sweden]] was slow. Raccoon (now Swedesboro, Gloucester, New Jersey) and New Stockholm (now Bridgeport, Gloucester, New Jersey) were not settled until 1642.<ref>"New Sweden" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Sweden (accessed 7 November 2008).</ref><ref>Swedes and Finns settled on the New Jersey side of the Delaware river as early as 1642 at Raccoon Creek. The first Swedish Lutheran minister to arrive in 1643, John Campanius, apparently described the luxurious growth of tobacco by Swedes between Raccoon Creek and Mantua Creek (Bridgeport) as mentioned in "Early History" in Gloucester County History and Genealogy [Internet site] at http://www.nj.searchroots.com/Gloucesterco/gchistory.htm (accessed 10 November 2008).</ref><ref>Trinity Episcopal 'Old Swedes' Church 1703-2007 [Internet site] at http://trinityswedesboro.org/History/History1.htm (accessed 10 November 2008)."Three years later [1641], Peter Hollander Ridder, the second governor of New Sweden, as the settlement in the Delaware Valley was called, purchased form the Indians the entire eastern side of the Delaware River from Raccoon Creek to Cape May. The first settlement by the Swedes was here on the banks of the Raccoon Creek in 1642, originally named Raccoon and later Swedesboro."</ref> A fort at Nya Elfsborg (now west of Salem, Salem, New Jersey) was built in 1643.<ref>Johnson, Detailed Map.</ref><ref>Munroe, 24. “When ordered to build a fort so situated as to enable the Swedes to control all shipping on the Delaware, Printz constructed Fort Elfsborg on the Jersey shore, south of Salem Creek.”</ref><ref>“[http://runeberg.org/nfbt/0095.html Kartskiss öfver Nya Sverige 1638-55 (Efter Amandus Johnson)]” a map image in the article “Nya Sverige” in ''Nordisk familjebok. Uggleupplagan. 20. Norrsken - Paprocki'' (Stockholm: Nordisk familjeboks förlags, 1914; digitized by Projekt Runeberg, 2002), 153-54.</ref> See the [[New Sweden|New Sweden]] Wiki article for more information. By the 1690s, as many as 900 Swedes and Finns had crossed the river to settle in Cape May, Gloucester, and Salem counties, West Jersey.

'''Swedes and Finns.''' The first Swedish and Finnish settlers came to the site of modern Wilmington, Delaware, on the Delaware River in 1638. The growth of [[New Sweden|New Sweden]] was slow. Raccoon (now Swedesboro, Gloucester, New Jersey) and New Stockholm (now Bridgeport, Gloucester, New Jersey) were not settled until 1642.<ref>"New Sweden" in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Sweden (accessed 7 November 2008).</ref><ref>Swedes and Finns settled on the New Jersey side of the Delaware river as early as 1642 at Raccoon Creek. The first Swedish Lutheran minister to arrive in 1643, John Campanius, apparently described the luxurious growth of tobacco by Swedes between Raccoon Creek and Mantua Creek (Bridgeport) as mentioned in "Early History" in Gloucester County History and Genealogy [Internet site] at http://www.nj.searchroots.com/Gloucesterco/gchistory.htm (accessed 10 November 2008).</ref><ref>Trinity Episcopal 'Old Swedes' Church 1703-2007 [Internet site] at http://trinityswedesboro.org/History/History1.htm (accessed 10 November 2008)."Three years later [1641], Peter Hollander Ridder, the second governor of New Sweden, as the settlement in the Delaware Valley was called, purchased form the Indians the entire eastern side of the Delaware River from Raccoon Creek to Cape May. The first settlement by the Swedes was here on the banks of the Raccoon Creek in 1642, originally named Raccoon and later Swedesboro."</ref> A fort at Nya Elfsborg (now west of Salem, Salem, New Jersey) was built in 1643.<ref>Johnson, Detailed Map.</ref><ref>Munroe, 24. “When ordered to build a fort so situated as to enable the Swedes to control all shipping on the Delaware, Printz constructed Fort Elfsborg on the Jersey shore, south of Salem Creek.”</ref><ref>“[http://runeberg.org/nfbt/0095.html Kartskiss öfver Nya Sverige 1638-55 (Efter Amandus Johnson)]” a map image in the article “Nya Sverige” in ''Nordisk familjebok. Uggleupplagan. 20. Norrsken - Paprocki'' (Stockholm: Nordisk familjeboks förlags, 1914; digitized by Projekt Runeberg, 2002), 153-54.</ref> See the [[New Sweden|New Sweden]] Wiki article for more information. By the 1690s, as many as 900 Swedes and Finns had crossed the river to settle in Cape May, Gloucester, and Salem counties, West Jersey.

Line 13:

Line 13:

*'''Kill Van Kull Patent (1664)'''. This area between the Raritan and Passaic rivers was granted to a group of English Puritans who, in turn, sold the southern part of this tract to other New Englanders in 1666. This grant led to the following settlements:

*'''Kill Van Kull Patent (1664)'''. This area between the Raritan and Passaic rivers was granted to a group of English Puritans who, in turn, sold the southern part of this tract to other New Englanders in 1666. This grant led to the following settlements:

−

:*''Elizabethtown (now Elizabeth),'' settled in 1665, and Milford (now Newark), settled in 1666 by Puritans from Jamaica, Long Island (who were previously of Stamford, Milford, New Haven, and Guilford, Connecticut).

+

:*'''Elizabethtown''' (now Elizabeth), settled in 1665, and Milford (now Newark), settled in 1666 by Puritans from Jamaica, Long Island (who were previously of Stamford, Milford, New Haven, and Guilford, Connecticut).

−

+

:*'''Woodbridge''', settled in 1666 by Puritans from Boston, Newbury, and other northeast seacoast towns.

−

:*''Woodbridge'', settled in 1666 by Puritans from Boston, Newbury, and other northeast seacoast towns.

+

:*'''Piscataway''', settled in December 1669 by families from the Piscataqua River area in New Hampshire and others from Cape Cod.

−

:*''Piscataway'', settled in December 1669 by families from the Piscataqua River area in New Hampshire and others from Cape Cod.

+

*'''Navesink or Monmouth Patent (1665)'''. This grant, from Sandy Hook to the Raritan River, was to a group from Gravesend, Long Island, and Quakers and Baptists from Rhode Island. They and other settlers from Massachusetts soon after founded Middletown and Shrewsbury.

*'''Navesink or Monmouth Patent (1665)'''. This grant, from Sandy Hook to the Raritan River, was to a group from Gravesend, Long Island, and Quakers and Baptists from Rhode Island. They and other settlers from Massachusetts soon after founded Middletown and Shrewsbury.

−

'''English in West Jersey'''. New Englanders settled in what is now Salem, Gloucester, New Jersey in 1641. But the rival Dutch and Swedes destroyed the fort and sent the English to New Amsterdam in 1643.<ref>Johnson, Detailed Map.</ref><ref>Arthur H. Buffington, "New England and the Western Fur Trade, 1629-1675" ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=KTQTAAAAYAAJ Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts]'' 18 (1917): 168 digitized by Google, 2007. "Regardless of the rights of the Dutch and the Swedes, two large tracts of land were purchased in southern New Jersey, and another tract on the future site of Philadelphia. The colony of New Haven extended its jurisdiction over this territory and lent the Company its full support. A settlement was made the same year [1641] at Varkens Kill (Salem, New Jersey), but as it was below the Dutch and Swedish posts and therefore unfavorably situated for the fur trade, a trading post was erected the next year near the mouth of the Schuylkill and above the rival posts. So seriously did this new post interfere with trade that the Dutch, probably with the aid of the Swedes, destroyed the fort and took away the settlers to Manhattan. The settlement at Varkens Kill was not disturbed, but it amounted to little. Some of the settlers perished of disease, some straggled back to New Haven, and a few stayed on, submitting themselves to Swedish rule."</ref> A group of English Quakers (Friends) led by John Fenwick began settling the east bank of the Delaware River at Salem in 1675. In 1677 Quakers from London and Hull, Yorkshire, settled New Beverly (now Burlington). In about 1681, Quakers from Ireland settled on Newton Creek, south of Burlington. There were at least 1,400 Quakers in West Jersey by this time.

+

'''English in West Jersey'''. New Englanders settled in Varkens Kill, now Salem, Gloucester, New Jersey in 1641. But the rival Dutch and Swedes destroyed the English blockhouse on Province Island (now Philadelphia airport) and sent the English there to New Amsterdam in 1643. Most of the English who settled in West Jersey died of disease or straggled back to New England around the same time. The remainder accepted Swedish rule.<ref>Johnson, Detailed Map.</ref><ref>Arthur H. Buffington, "New England and the Western Fur Trade, 1629-1675" ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=KTQTAAAAYAAJ Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts]'' 18 (1917): 168 digitized by Google, 2007. "Regardless of the rights of the Dutch and the Swedes, two large tracts of land were purchased in southern New Jersey, and another tract on the future site of Philadelphia. The colony of New Haven extended its jurisdiction over this territory and lent the Company its full support. A settlement was made the same year [1641] at Varkens Kill (Salem, New Jersey), but as it was below the Dutch and Swedish posts and therefore unfavorably situated for the fur trade, a trading post was erected the next year near the mouth of the Schuylkill and above the rival posts. So seriously did this new post interfere with trade that the Dutch, probably with the aid of the Swedes, destroyed the fort and took away the settlers to Manhattan. The settlement at Varkens Kill was not disturbed, but it amounted to little. Some of the settlers perished of disease, some straggled back to New Haven, and a few stayed on, submitting themselves to Swedish rule."</ref> A group of English Quakers (Friends) led by John Fenwick began settling the east bank of the Delaware River at Salem in 1675. In 1677 Quakers from London and Hull, Yorkshire, settled New Beverly (now Burlington). In about 1681, Quakers from Ireland settled on Newton Creek, south of Burlington. There were at least 1,400 Quakers in West Jersey by this time.

Cape May, along New Jersey's southern coast, was settled in 1690 by New Englanders (many of Mayflower descent) from Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Hartford. For information about these families, see:

Cape May, along New Jersey's southern coast, was settled in 1690 by New Englanders (many of Mayflower descent) from Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Hartford. For information about these families, see:

'''Scots'''. The proprietors of East Jersey actively solicited Scottish settlers. From the 1680s to 1750, many Presbyterian Lowlanders from eastern Scotland came to East Jersey, particularly to the present counties of Monmouth, Middlesex, Somerset, and Mercer. Hundreds left Scotland between 1683 and 1685 to settle New Perth at Amboy Point (now Perth Amboy), Plainfield, Freehold, and wilderness areas of the Watchung Mountains. Immigration from Scotland declined after 1690, but the Scots continued to spread west through central New Jersey, eventually reaching the Delaware Valley.

'''Scots'''. The proprietors of East Jersey actively solicited Scottish settlers. From the 1680s to 1750, many Presbyterian Lowlanders from eastern Scotland came to East Jersey, particularly to the present counties of Monmouth, Middlesex, Somerset, and Mercer. Hundreds left Scotland between 1683 and 1685 to settle New Perth at Amboy Point (now Perth Amboy), Plainfield, Freehold, and wilderness areas of the Watchung Mountains. Immigration from Scotland declined after 1690, but the Scots continued to spread west through central New Jersey, eventually reaching the Delaware Valley.

Line 36:

Line 35:

'''Germans'''. The first German Palatines to settle in Bergen County arrived in New York in 1710. Between 1714 and 1750, German Lutherans followed the Raritan River through Monmouth and Somerset counties into northeastern Hunterdon County. A few of the Germans who later arrived at Philadelphia in the 1720s and 1730s crossed over to New Jersey. Those that did went to southern Hunterdon, Morris, and Sussex counties. For information about early German families, see:

'''Germans'''. The first German Palatines to settle in Bergen County arrived in New York in 1710. Between 1714 and 1750, German Lutherans followed the Raritan River through Monmouth and Somerset counties into northeastern Hunterdon County. A few of the Germans who later arrived at Philadelphia in the 1720s and 1730s crossed over to New Jersey. Those that did went to southern Hunterdon, Morris, and Sussex counties. For information about early German families, see:

Jones, Henry Z., Jr. ''More Palatine Families: Some Immigrants to the Middle Colonies 1717-1776 and their European Origins''. Universal City, California: H. Z. Jones, Jr., 1991 (Family History Library [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=438977&disp=More+Palatine+families%20%20&columns=*,0,0 book 973 W2jo].) The first section is entitled, ''The Palatine Families of New York &amp; New Jersey.''

+

*Jones, Henry Z., Jr. ''More Palatine Families: Some Immigrants to the Middle Colonies 1717-1776 and their European Origins''. Universal City, California: H. Z. Jones, Jr., 1991 (Family History Library {{FHL|438977|title-id|disp=book 973 W2jo}}.) The first section is entitled, ''The Palatine Families of New York &amp; New Jersey.'' {{WorldCat|24222181|disp=At various libraries (WorldCat)}}

−

Jones, Henry Z., Jr.''The Palatine Families of New York: A Study of the German Immigrants who arrived in Colonial New York in 1710''. Universal City, California: H.Z. Jones, Jr., 1985 (Family History Library [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlehitlist&columns=*%2C0%2C0&callno=974.7+D2j book 974.7 D2j, vols. 1-2].) Many of the families who first settled in New York later migrated to New Jersey.

+

*Jones, Henry Z., Jr.''The Palatine Families of New York: A Study of the German Immigrants who arrived in Colonial New York in 1710''. Universal City, California: H.Z. Jones, Jr., 1985 (Family History Library {{FHL|974.7 D2j|disp=book 974.7 D2j, vols. 1-2}}.) Many of the families who first settled in New York later migrated to New Jersey. {{WorldCat|12335233|disp=At various libraries (WorldCat)}}

−

'''Nineteenth Century Immigration'''. Beginning in the 1840s, immigration to New Jersey increased dramatically. About 80 percent of these new arrivals were from Germany and the British Isles. They supplied the needed manpower for the state's growing industries. Paterson was the major industrial center by 1850. The Irish were the largest foreign-born group in the two decades before the Civil War. The Germans were the largest group from 1870 to 1900. The English, Scots, and Welsh also came in significant numbers until about 1890. By 1870 Newark was the largest city, followed by Jersey City. Since 1870 there has been heavy immigration to urban centers, including Newark, Hoboken, Jersey City, Paterson, Passaic, Trenton, and Camden.

+

==== Nineteenth Century Immigration<br> ====

−

'''Twentieth Century Immigration'''. Blacks are now the largest minority group in New Jersey. They were first brought into New Jersey during colonial times by the Dutch. The black population of New Jersey was proportionally larger than that of any other northern state. Many southern blacks, who first came as migratory workers between 1870 and 1910, stayed to work in the cities, causing the black population to nearly triple. Migration to the cities continued between the two world wars. The surge which came during and following the second world war did not abate until the 1960s.

+

Beginning in the 1840s, immigration to New Jersey increased dramatically. About 80 percent of these new arrivals were from Germany and the British Isles. They supplied the needed manpower for the state's growing industries. Paterson was the major industrial center by 1850. The Irish were the largest foreign-born group in the two decades before the Civil War. The Germans were the largest group from 1870 to 1900. The English, Scots, and Welsh also came in significant numbers until about 1890. By 1870 Newark was the largest city, followed by Jersey City. Since 1870 there has been heavy immigration to urban centers, including Newark, Hoboken, Jersey City, Paterson, Passaic, Trenton, and Camden.

+

+

==== Twentieth Century Immigration<br> ====

+

+

Blacks are now the largest minority group in New Jersey. They were first brought into New Jersey during colonial times by the Dutch. The black population of New Jersey was proportionally larger than that of any other northern state. Many southern blacks, who first came as migratory workers between 1870 and 1910, stayed to work in the cities, causing the black population to nearly triple. Migration to the cities continued between the two world wars. The surge which came during and following the second world war did not abate until the 1960s.

After the turn of the century, immigration to New Jersey was predominantly from central and southeastern Europe, particularly Italy. New Jersey also attracted large numbers of Poles, Russian Jews, Greeks, Czechs (Bohemians), Finns, Armenians, Hungarians, Latvians, and Lithuanians. Beginning in the 1950s, Cubans and Puerto Ricans have come to the large cities. Hispanics have comprised New Jersey's largest immigrant group since World War II.

After the turn of the century, immigration to New Jersey was predominantly from central and southeastern Europe, particularly Italy. New Jersey also attracted large numbers of Poles, Russian Jews, Greeks, Czechs (Bohemians), Finns, Armenians, Hungarians, Latvians, and Lithuanians. Beginning in the 1950s, Cubans and Puerto Ricans have come to the large cities. Hispanics have comprised New Jersey's largest immigrant group since World War II.

For a comprehensive list of about 140,000 immigrants to America from Britain, see:

For a comprehensive list of about 140,000 immigrants to America from Britain, see:

−

Coldham, Peter Wilson. ''The Complete Book of Emigrants, 1607-1776 and Emigrants in Bondage, 1614-1775'' [Novato, California]: Brøderbund Software, 1996. (Family History Library compact disc no. 9 pt. 350). Not available at Family History Centers. Lists numerous New Jersey immigrants. May show British hometown, emigration date, ship, destination, and text of the document abstract.

+

*Coldham, Peter Wilson. ''The Complete Book of Emigrants, 1607-1776 and Emigrants in Bondage, 1614-1775'' [Novato, California]: Brøderbund Software, 1996. ({{FHL|773852|title-id|disp=Family History Library compact disc no. 9 pt. 350}}). Not available at Family History Centers. Lists numerous New Jersey immigrants. May show British hometown, emigration date, ship, destination, and text of the document abstract. {{WorldCat|47283379|disp= At various libraries (WorldCat)}}

−

'''Federal Immigration Lists'''. The National Archives, the National Archives — Northeast, and the Family History Library have microfilm copies of:

+

===== Ports =====

−

==== '''New York''' ====

+

*Burlington

+

*Perth Amboy

+

*Salem

−

*''Passenger lists (1820-1942)''. The National Archives—Northeast Region (New York City, NY) has the lists through 1957. The Family History Library has the following lists:

+

==== Federal Immigration Lists<br> ====

−

:*Lists: 1820-1897

+

Most New Jersey immigrants arrived through the ports of New York City and Philadelphia.<br>

−

:*Lists: 1897-1942

+

−

*''Indexes'' (1820-46 and 1897-1943). The Family History Library has the indexes only through 1943:

+

===== New York City =====

−

:*Index: 1820-1846

+

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and many of its regional centers has microfilmed passenger lists from 1820-1942.<br>

−

:*Index: 1897-1902

+

−

:*Index: 1902-1943

+

−

==== '''Philadelphia''' ====

+

The Family History Library has microfilmed indexes for 1820-1846 and 1897-1943 and passenger lists from 1820-1942. <br>

−

*''Passenger lists (1800-1921)''. The Family History Library has the lists to 1921:

+

See [[New York Emigration and Immigration|New York Emigration and Immigration]] for additional information on New York ports.

−

:*Lists: 1800-1882

+

===== Philadelphia =====

−

:*Lists: 1883-1921

+

−

*''Indexes'' (1800-1948). Indexes for 1800-1948 are available at the Family History Library:

+

The Family History Library has microfilmed indexes for 1800-1948 and passenger lists from 1883-1948. <br>

−

:*Index: 1800-1906

+

See [[Pennsylvania Emigration and Immigration|Pennsylvania Emigration and Immigration]] for additional information on the port of Philadelphia.

*Perth Amboy, 1820, 1829-1832, included in {{FHL|66154|item|disp=FHL film 830238}}

−

Additional information on U.S. immigration sources is in the [http://www.familysearchwiki.org/../united-states-research-outline United States Research Outline].

+

Additional information on U.S. immigration sources is in [[United States Emigration and Immigration]].

−

[https://wwwnet1.state.nj.us/DOS/Admin/ArchivesDBPortal/NameChanges.aspx Legal Name Changes, 1847-1947]&nbsp; "The majority of the name changes indexed in this database belong to the record series Department of State/Division of Commercial Recording/Name-Change Judgments, 1876-1947.&nbsp; The index also references earlier name changes done by legislative act, as well as a number of name-change judgments found among the Secretary of State's Miscellaneous Fillings (Series II).&nbsp; The index may be searched by any combination of first and/or last name (including original and new legal names.)"&nbsp; If you locate the individual you are seeking, there is a small charge to obtain a copy of the record.

Revision as of 19:16, 2 January 2014

United States Emigration and Immigration lists several important sources for finding information about immigrants. These nationwide sources include many references to people who settled in New Jersey. Tracing Immigrant Origins introduces the principles, search strategies, and additional record types you can use to identify an immigrant ancestor's original hometown.

The People

Dutch. The Dutch of New Netherland intermittently occupied Fort Nassau (now Brooklawn, Camden, New Jersey) starting in 1623.[1][2][3] The northeastern part of New Jersey was the first to be permanently settled because of its close proximity to New Amsterdam (New York City). Bergen (now Jersey City), on the west bank of the Hudson River, was the first permanent Dutch settlement starting in 1630.[4] After the English conquest in 1664, the Dutch continued to spread into Bergen County and the Raritan Valley and then into Somerset and northern Monmouth in the 1680s and 1690s. Many of these settlers came from Kings County, New York. For more details about the Dutch influence in the area see New Netherland, New Jersey Court Records, New Jersey Probate Records, and New York. Gwenn F. Epperson's New Netherland Roots (Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Publ., 1994) FHL book 974.7 D27e discusses and quotes examples from passenger lists, early government records, marriage registers, church records, and court records of New Netherland. This book also discusses early Dutch, German, Belgian, French, and Scandinavian sources.

Swedes and Finns. The first Swedish and Finnish settlers came to the site of modern Wilmington, Delaware, on the Delaware River in 1638. The growth of New Sweden was slow. Raccoon (now Swedesboro, Gloucester, New Jersey) and New Stockholm (now Bridgeport, Gloucester, New Jersey) were not settled until 1642.[5][6][7] A fort at Nya Elfsborg (now west of Salem, Salem, New Jersey) was built in 1643.[8][9][10] See the New Sweden Wiki article for more information. By the 1690s, as many as 900 Swedes and Finns had crossed the river to settle in Cape May, Gloucester, and Salem counties, West Jersey.

English in East Jersey. In about 1665, the East Jersey proprietors began to attract settlers from Long Island and New England by offering liberal freedoms and choice land. Before the proprietors granted any land, however, Governor Richard Nicolls of New York granted two large patents in East Jersey to settlers from New England and New York:

Kill Van Kull Patent (1664). This area between the Raritan and Passaic rivers was granted to a group of English Puritans who, in turn, sold the southern part of this tract to other New Englanders in 1666. This grant led to the following settlements:

Elizabethtown (now Elizabeth), settled in 1665, and Milford (now Newark), settled in 1666 by Puritans from Jamaica, Long Island (who were previously of Stamford, Milford, New Haven, and Guilford, Connecticut).

Woodbridge, settled in 1666 by Puritans from Boston, Newbury, and other northeast seacoast towns.

Piscataway, settled in December 1669 by families from the Piscataqua River area in New Hampshire and others from Cape Cod.

Navesink or Monmouth Patent (1665). This grant, from Sandy Hook to the Raritan River, was to a group from Gravesend, Long Island, and Quakers and Baptists from Rhode Island. They and other settlers from Massachusetts soon after founded Middletown and Shrewsbury.

English in West Jersey. New Englanders settled in Varkens Kill, now Salem, Gloucester, New Jersey in 1641. But the rival Dutch and Swedes destroyed the English blockhouse on Province Island (now Philadelphia airport) and sent the English there to New Amsterdam in 1643. Most of the English who settled in West Jersey died of disease or straggled back to New England around the same time. The remainder accepted Swedish rule.[11][12] A group of English Quakers (Friends) led by John Fenwick began settling the east bank of the Delaware River at Salem in 1675. In 1677 Quakers from London and Hull, Yorkshire, settled New Beverly (now Burlington). In about 1681, Quakers from Ireland settled on Newton Creek, south of Burlington. There were at least 1,400 Quakers in West Jersey by this time.

Cape May, along New Jersey's southern coast, was settled in 1690 by New Englanders (many of Mayflower descent) from Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Hartford. For information about these families, see:

Scots. The proprietors of East Jersey actively solicited Scottish settlers. From the 1680s to 1750, many Presbyterian Lowlanders from eastern Scotland came to East Jersey, particularly to the present counties of Monmouth, Middlesex, Somerset, and Mercer. Hundreds left Scotland between 1683 and 1685 to settle New Perth at Amboy Point (now Perth Amboy), Plainfield, Freehold, and wilderness areas of the Watchung Mountains. Immigration from Scotland declined after 1690, but the Scots continued to spread west through central New Jersey, eventually reaching the Delaware Valley.

A second Lowlands migration, to Monmouth County, began in 1715 and continued through the 1720s, with settlers coming primarily to Middlesex, Essex, Somerset, Hunterdon, and northern Burlington counties. A third migration in about 1750 affected mostly Morris, Hunterdon, Sussex, and Salem counties.

Ulster Scots. Immigrants from Ulster started coming in 1710, but most arrived after 1725. Most entered at Philadelphia and settled in East Jersey, following much the same pattern of settlement as the first Scottish immigrants. Many later moved into Warren and Sussex counties in northwestern New Jersey. By midcentury, 20 percent of the people of central New Jersey were either Scots or Ulster Scots.

French Huguenots. Between 1677 and the early 1700s, Dutch-speaking French Huguenots from Harlem and Staten Island, New York, settled at Schraalenburgh (now Bergenfield) in the Hackensack Valley of Bergen County. Other Huguenots settled in Monmouth County.

Germans. The first German Palatines to settle in Bergen County arrived in New York in 1710. Between 1714 and 1750, German Lutherans followed the Raritan River through Monmouth and Somerset counties into northeastern Hunterdon County. A few of the Germans who later arrived at Philadelphia in the 1720s and 1730s crossed over to New Jersey. Those that did went to southern Hunterdon, Morris, and Sussex counties. For information about early German families, see:

Jones, Henry Z., Jr. More Palatine Families: Some Immigrants to the Middle Colonies 1717-1776 and their European Origins. Universal City, California: H. Z. Jones, Jr., 1991 (Family History Library book 973 W2jo.) The first section is entitled, The Palatine Families of New York & New Jersey.At various libraries (WorldCat)

Jones, Henry Z., Jr.The Palatine Families of New York: A Study of the German Immigrants who arrived in Colonial New York in 1710. Universal City, California: H.Z. Jones, Jr., 1985 (Family History Library book 974.7 D2j, vols. 1-2.) Many of the families who first settled in New York later migrated to New Jersey. At various libraries (WorldCat)

Nineteenth Century Immigration

Beginning in the 1840s, immigration to New Jersey increased dramatically. About 80 percent of these new arrivals were from Germany and the British Isles. They supplied the needed manpower for the state's growing industries. Paterson was the major industrial center by 1850. The Irish were the largest foreign-born group in the two decades before the Civil War. The Germans were the largest group from 1870 to 1900. The English, Scots, and Welsh also came in significant numbers until about 1890. By 1870 Newark was the largest city, followed by Jersey City. Since 1870 there has been heavy immigration to urban centers, including Newark, Hoboken, Jersey City, Paterson, Passaic, Trenton, and Camden.

Twentieth Century Immigration

Blacks are now the largest minority group in New Jersey. They were first brought into New Jersey during colonial times by the Dutch. The black population of New Jersey was proportionally larger than that of any other northern state. Many southern blacks, who first came as migratory workers between 1870 and 1910, stayed to work in the cities, causing the black population to nearly triple. Migration to the cities continued between the two world wars. The surge which came during and following the second world war did not abate until the 1960s.

After the turn of the century, immigration to New Jersey was predominantly from central and southeastern Europe, particularly Italy. New Jersey also attracted large numbers of Poles, Russian Jews, Greeks, Czechs (Bohemians), Finns, Armenians, Hungarians, Latvians, and Lithuanians. Beginning in the 1950s, Cubans and Puerto Ricans have come to the large cities. Hispanics have comprised New Jersey's largest immigrant group since World War II.

Cunningham, Barbara, ed. The New Jersey Ethnic Experience. Union City, New Jersey: William H. Wise & Co., 1977. (Not available at the Family History Library.) At various libraries (WorldCat)

Wacker, Peter O. Land and People: A Cultural Geography of Preindustrial New Jersey: Origins and Settlement Patterns. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1975. (Family History Library book 974.9 H2wa.) At various libraries (WorldCat)

For a comprehensive list of about 140,000 immigrants to America from Britain, see:

Coldham, Peter Wilson. The Complete Book of Emigrants, 1607-1776 and Emigrants in Bondage, 1614-1775 [Novato, California]: Brøderbund Software, 1996. (Family History Library compact disc no. 9 pt. 350). Not available at Family History Centers. Lists numerous New Jersey immigrants. May show British hometown, emigration date, ship, destination, and text of the document abstract. At various libraries (WorldCat)

Ports

Burlington

Perth Amboy

Salem

Federal Immigration Lists

Most New Jersey immigrants arrived through the ports of New York City and Philadelphia.

New York City

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and many of its regional centers has microfilmed passenger lists from 1820-1942.

The Family History Library has microfilmed indexes for 1820-1846 and 1897-1943 and passenger lists from 1820-1942.

References

↑ "Fort Nassau" in Probert Encyclopaedia of Architecture [Internet site] at http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/T_FORT_NASSAU.HTM (accessed 10 November 2008). "Fort Nassau was a fort erected on the site of the present town of Gloucester, New Jersey by Captain Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, representing the Dutch West India Company in 1623. It was abandoned and rebuilt a number of times, and finally abandoned in 1651."

↑ Swedes and Finns settled on the New Jersey side of the Delaware river as early as 1642 at Raccoon Creek. The first Swedish Lutheran minister to arrive in 1643, John Campanius, apparently described the luxurious growth of tobacco by Swedes between Raccoon Creek and Mantua Creek (Bridgeport) as mentioned in "Early History" in Gloucester County History and Genealogy [Internet site] at http://www.nj.searchroots.com/Gloucesterco/gchistory.htm (accessed 10 November 2008).

↑ Trinity Episcopal 'Old Swedes' Church 1703-2007 [Internet site] at http://trinityswedesboro.org/History/History1.htm (accessed 10 November 2008)."Three years later [1641], Peter Hollander Ridder, the second governor of New Sweden, as the settlement in the Delaware Valley was called, purchased form the Indians the entire eastern side of the Delaware River from Raccoon Creek to Cape May. The first settlement by the Swedes was here on the banks of the Raccoon Creek in 1642, originally named Raccoon and later Swedesboro."

↑ Arthur H. Buffington, "New England and the Western Fur Trade, 1629-1675" Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts 18 (1917): 168 digitized by Google, 2007. "Regardless of the rights of the Dutch and the Swedes, two large tracts of land were purchased in southern New Jersey, and another tract on the future site of Philadelphia. The colony of New Haven extended its jurisdiction over this territory and lent the Company its full support. A settlement was made the same year [1641] at Varkens Kill (Salem, New Jersey), but as it was below the Dutch and Swedish posts and therefore unfavorably situated for the fur trade, a trading post was erected the next year near the mouth of the Schuylkill and above the rival posts. So seriously did this new post interfere with trade that the Dutch, probably with the aid of the Swedes, destroyed the fort and took away the settlers to Manhattan. The settlement at Varkens Kill was not disturbed, but it amounted to little. Some of the settlers perished of disease, some straggled back to New Haven, and a few stayed on, submitting themselves to Swedish rule."